Do you consider competing companies a friend or foe? It seems that instead of treating competitors as rivals, many small businesses have actually been joining forces with peers within their sector or local area.

That's according to a recent survey by JustEat, which found that a mere 14% of SMEs polled said they'd never worked with their competitors.

It's a trend which looks set to continue. The research also showed that 30% of small businesses surveyed believe that working with the competition would provide the best path to growth over the next year.

We're keen to explore this approach to doing business in more detail in our latest open thread. Tell us: have you collaborated with competitors in order to win new business? If you have worked with other firms, how did you go about it? What were the benefits, and would you recommend that other small business owners do the same?

Perhaps you might see it as encouraging that small firms are clubbing together in tough times - or maybe you prefer to be more guarded about the strategy behind your business. Let us know by sharing your thoughts in our open thread.This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. To receive more like this you can become a member of the Small Business Network here.

We'd love to hear your views and thoughts in the comments but please remember not to disclose personal identifiable details.